Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Airline Travel - Flying Anxiety

You would think the amount that I have flown and been on a plane that I would have gotten over this by now, but it has seriously gotten so much worse.

I don't know what it is about planes that just scare the shit out of me and cause me to think I am going to die when: A. We are taking off, B. when there is any sort of turbulence and C. when we are landing.

And I am not able to make this go away. I have taken Xanax before the plane and that definitely worked, but since it was a connecting flight, I was only anxiety-free for the first trip... soooo that sucked.

It honestly has nothing to do with 9/11 because let me tell you, if someone was trying to hi-jack my plane, they would not get away with it. Ever. They would have to kill me first before I let them take down a plane! I would definitely be that passenger that would not sit back and let it happen - I dont give a shit if you have guns.... well maybe guns, because that would end pretty quickly and badly,,, but I would definitely do whatever I could.

I really think it just has to do with all of the shows about plane crashes and just thinking we are going to plummet out of the sky to the ground and then I think of what my chances are that I will live... And I usually give myself better odds then what would actually happen lol

So, I want to know, do you have anxiety when you fly? And if so, how do you get over it?

6 comments:

No anxiety, but I do have motion sickness. I take a Dramamine tablet before I board & and that basically puts me to sleep.

Before my first ever plane ride, I do remember having similar feelings to yours. It was before 9-11 & I was just scared of dying in a plane crash. My mentor, at the time, assured me that the chances of that happening was small, yet equal to that of a person dying in a car/bus/train/any other horrible accident. She gave me specific number percentages at that time.Somehow, this (though morbid & somewhat logical) comforted me & killed my anxiety.Funny thing is...that first plane ride was when I discovered I had motion sickness.

I didn't like to fly WAYYY before 9/11 too. I just freak out. I don't know if its the idea of being in the air or the close quarters or I dunno. I deal with it by never sitting next to the window but in the middle seats and taking some xanax. =)

i normally don't because i flew alot growing up and my mom was always calm, cool, collected. i had a bad flying experience with lots of turbulance in February though, and it sent me into a tailspin lol. i am going to nashville in a few weeks and i am nervous! esp since our connecting flight is 1 seat x 1 seat plane....eeek!!!

I actually don't have any flying anxiety. Maybe too because I was a pilot.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a pilot, yet, when I went on a plane, as soon as it took off, I'd be like "Fuck this, I'm going to be a truck driver instead". I had this anxiety until I was 16.

But I can tell you I'm afraid of heights though. On an plane I'm ok with it, but on a building, bridge or a balloon, I'm scared shitless.

When I was training to become a pilot, my flight instructor would shut off the engine completely at 7,000 ft, just to make sure I'd know what the emergency procedures were if that ever happened while I was in command. That activity never scared me either, it was quite fun actually, unless the engines did not want to re-start at the first try.

I love flying and I get into fights with people I travel with because I always want the window! : )

I've actually always loved flying, with the exception of landing which always gives me an earache. But the actual trip and the airport and the airplane are so much fun to me. Like going on an adventure!

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"Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." -jack kerouac

About Me:

I am a mommy to be (in June!), a newly married army wife, and a 5th grade English teacher in New York City. I am learning everyday about my new life and trying to share the best (and worst) of my experiences along the way. Enjoy!